Search This Blog

Something for the Weekend: Yanks Weekend

I grew up in a part of England that constantly comes alive with quirky traditions. Yanks Weekend is one such tradition. I'm not sure it can be explained all that succinctly but I'll try...

In 1979 Richard Gere made a movie called 'Yanks'. It was about a group of American soldiers stationed in Britain and was set in the English countryside. The little villages (where I grew up) played a starring role in the film and for the last 16 years this fact has been marked with a 2-day celebration. For one weekend a year we step back in time to the 1940s. There are fairs, aerial displays and parades through the streets. A lot of people get into the spirit of things by dressing up vintage style - and there's an awful lot of swing dancing.

Last year was one of the best and busiest yet - and the first time I've been able to experience it for quite a while so I thought I'd give you all a little taste. You can find out more about this brilliant and bizarre event here and if you're interested in seeing it for yourself it'll be taking place on 6th and 7th August in Saddleworth.

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yesterday, Cali and I ventured to Harewood House to sample the delights of their food festival.

Cali had such a great time and we've both decided we'd like to move in - she has expensive taste! (Having Cali is somewhat like I imagine having a child would be - she's into everything and very sociable. I've started walking her on a harness so I don't lose her!)

I'm not going to waffle on with this post because Cali and I are heading out for our next big adventure today and we can't wait to make the most of the bank holiday sunshine!

Details of the food festival here. It runs today and tomorrow. Entry is £10 (seems a little steep but you do get access to the gardens and grounds included in that.)

Dress: Tallgirls.co.uk (bought from their pop-up shop and seemingly not available online)
Shoes: Primark
Sunglasses: F&F

When I was eleven, I discovered Leanne Rimes (thanks to Coyote Ugly) and Country Music became my guilty pleasure. (Believe me, for a teenager in the UK it was not cool, but I fell in love with it anyway.)
I love almost all genres of music, but Country is the clear favourite.
There isn't much of a country music scene in the UK, so visiting Nashville has been on my bucket list for a very, very long time... and if you can't do something special for your 30th birthday when can you??
We rose bright an early on our fist morning in Nashville (very early in
fact - thanks jet lag!) and didn't waist any time heading Downtown. I
have been following Kelsey Montague's art on Instagram for ages, and literally stumbled into her famous wings not long after we left
the hotel.
I think this picture accurately sums up my feelings about being in Nashville for the first time...

As some of you may have noticed it has been a bit quiet around here for the last 12 Months. I wanted to put together a post that explains a little of my journey over the past year. I hope you've got a brew and a biscuit because this is going to be a bit of a long one...

I started Girl In The Pretty Dress approximately 5 years ago after I was introduced to Laura's blog.

At the time there wasn't much of a blogging scene for tall girls in the UK. Even so, I knew I wanted to be involved with this growing community of tall, confident, supportive women...but I wasn't sure about putting myself out there.
So I started small. I made myself a little Tumblr page and started sharing photos of outfits I'd put together, alongside a collection of other pretty things that caught my eye. I didn't tell anyone I knew that I was doing it. When no immediate backlash occurred, I got a bit braver and sent a photo or two (below) into AllTheTallThings.com for the 'Tried It On'…